Why Arsenal Were Denied a Penalty vs Hull Despite Shirt Pull

The Premier League have explained the decision to deny Arsenal attacker Kai Havertz a clear penalty during the first-half of their clash against Hull City.

The Gunners were frustrated by the Tigers, struggling to break down a resilient defence before they looked to have won a spot-kick on the stroke of half-time. Havertz went down in the box after having his shirt pulled by Nobel Mendy although referee Farai Hallam initially missed the incident.

VAR intervened and eventually sent Hallam to the pitchside monitor where everyone inside the Emirates Stadium expected him to point to the spot. That wasn’t the case though, as he determined that Havertz had been in an offside position when the ball was played.

Premier League Explains Decision to Deny Havertz Penalty

Reuters

Hallam did state after review that Mendy had fouled Havertz before then, ruling that the German moved from an offside position. This bemused the fans, as VAR didn’t need to call the official over to watch it back given the outcome.

The Premier League have now released a statement confirming Hallam’s decision to have been correct: “VAR recommended an on-field review for a potential penalty to Arsenal for a challenge by Mendy on Havertz – but determined that Havertz was in an offside position in the build-up. REF: “After review, there is a holding offence by Blue No.32 on Red No.29. However, Red No.29 is in an offside position, so the final decision will be a free-kick for offside to Hull City.”

Penalty decision aside, Mikel Arteta wouldn’t have been happy with his team’s display going forward as they very rarely threatened Hull’s defence. Havertz wasted a one-on-one opportunity on the break when he fluffed his lines, which summed up his side’s first-half display.

Harry Kane Penalty vs Arsenal Recalled After VAR Decision

Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

A similar incident occurred during the North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur back in March 2019. Harry Kane had been in an offside position when Shkodran Mustafi brought the former Spurs striker down in the box.

Spurs were controversially awarded the penalty despite Kane being offside and FA rules at the time explained: “If a player in an offside position is moving towards the ball with the intention of playing the ball and is fouled before playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the foul is penalised as it has occurred before the offside offence.”

It should be noted that this game came just months before the Premier League introduced VAR. But it holds similarities to the incident that occured in today’s match.